Help keep emerald ash borer from devastating Minneapolis’ ash trees

The
first case discovered in Saint Paul. EAB is an invasive pest that attacks ash trees and could cause serious damage to Minneapolis’ urban forest. EAB has already killed more than 40 million ash trees nationwide, primarily in southeast Michigan. Minnesota has the potential to lose 867 million trees, because it has one of the nation’s highest volumes of forestland ash on public property.

Residents can play a part in delaying and minimizing the damage to our trees. Minneapolis 200,000 ash trees make up 20 percent of all trees on public and private land in the city, which makes it especially important to take steps to protect against EAB. EAB adults cant fly far, so EAB travels by people moving ash logs, ash firewood or infested ash trees from nurseries. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has issued
a state quarantine on firewood, ash trees, and ash tree products in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. The measure is designed to slow the spread of EAB, a highly destructive tree pest, to other parts of the state. The quarantine prohibits the movement of the following items out of Ramsey and Hennepin counties:

Take steps to keep EAB from spreading:

Don’t transport firewood, even within Minnesota. Don't bring firewood along on a camping trip. Buy or harvest your wood near the area where you are going to burn the wood. If you are buying firewood, ask where it came from. Avoid moving firewood from its area of origination; don’t bring extra wood home with you. In Minneapolis, firewood dealers are required to be licensed by the City, so ask firewood peddlers for their City license.

Don’t buy or move firewood from outside your area. If someone comes to your door selling firewood, ask them about the source of the wood.

Watch for signs of infestation in your ash trees. The earlier that EAB is found, the sooner it can be addressed. EAB kills trees over a period of one to four years. Residents should also examine ash trees in their neighborhood for tree canopy thinning or small "D" shaped exit holes left in the bark by EAB.

If you suspect your ash tree could be infested by EAB, visit the
MDA website and use the "Do I Have Emerald Ash Borer?" checklist.
Residents who suspect that a tree is infested with EAB can also contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s "Arrest the Pest" Hotline at 651-201-6684 for the Metro Area or 1-888-545-6684 for Greater Minnesota.